Eagles beat gallant Maroons

In a game where everybody expected a blowout, the Ateneo Blue Eagles needed reliable veteran Nico Salva and a third quarter scoring spree to beat a gutsy University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 76-70, in UAAP hoops action at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum on Thursday.

Salva, the reigning finals most valuable player, scored 11 of his game-high 21 points in the third quarter to fuel a 29-point surge to overturn a 32-40 halftime deficit to 61-57.

Seven-foot center Greg Slaughter, who scored only two points in the first half as a result of a solid denial defense from Maroon bigs Raoul Soyud and Chris Ball, assisted Salva in the third quarter by scoring eight points.

Reserve Blue Eagle forward Oping Sumalinog provided the finishing touches for Ateneo in the final canto, sparking a 5-0 run approaching the last two minutes to erect an insurmountable 10-point lead, 74-64.

It was never an easy game though for the four-peat champions, as the still winless Maroons capitalized on an airtight 2-2-1 defense in the first half to force ten turnovers against the Blue Eagles.

Coach Ricky Dandan, who fielded his strongest starting five yet, was likewise rewarded by his wards on the offensive end, with the Maroons scoring 17 perimeter points and eight fastbreak points.

State U even led by ten points early in the third quarter but the lead was instantly relinquished when Salva started connecting his shots.

The Eagles, playing without starting point guard Juami Tiongson who was benched in the game, currently share the lead with the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws at 4-1.

The 0-4 Maroons were led by returnee Mark Lopez, who scored 13 points, and Ball, who scored all his 11 points in the first half.

Bulldogs repulse Tams

In the second game, season 75 hosts National University (NU) Bulldogs escaped past erstwhile league leaders FEU Tamaraws, 61-57.

Trailing by as much as 13 early in the third quarter and with its star player Bobby Ray Parks having scored no field goals, the Bulldogs capitalized on an 8-2 run sparked by center Emmanuel Mbe and point guard Robin Rono to end the quarter trailing by one, 46-47.

Parks then staged a relentless Bulldog fight, scoring his first field goal midway in the final period and sealing the game with a three-point play off a power drive against the Tamaraws’ defense with less than a minute to go.

The reigning season most valuable player led the Bulldogs with 17 points off a 13/17 shooting from the foul line, handing the hosts its first win against a perennial final four contender. The Sampaloc-based squad now sits at fourth place with a 3-2 card.